Rail-chair.



T. P. LIVINGSTON.

RAIL CHAIR.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.8, 1910.

- 978,176. Patented Dec. 13,-1910.

artozmwo THOMAS P. LIVINGSTON,OF AUGUSTA, GEORGIA.

RAIL-CHAIR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 13, 1910.

Application filed January 8, 1910. Serial No. 537,011.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS P. LIVING- STON, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Augusta, in the county of Richmond and State ofGeorgia, have invented a new and useful Rail-Chair, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention aims to provide an improved rail chair and one ofthe objects of the invention is to provide a chalr in which theemployment of bolts is obviated.

Further the invention aims to provide a rail chair so constructed thatits sections may be assembled with a rail without the necessity ofremoving or displacing the rail or rails from the ties.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a view in side elevation of arail chair constructed in accordance with the present invention, Fig. 2is a vertical transverse sectional view in detail therethrough, Fig. 3is a similar View but showing the first position assumed by one of thesections in disengaging it from the other section, Fig. 4 1s a similarview showing a further step.

In the drawings, the rails joined by the chair embodying the presentinvention are indicated by the reference character R and a tiesupporting the chair and the said rails is indicated by T. The chair, asbefore stated, is embodied in sections of whlch there are two, oneindicated by the numeral 5 and the other by the numeral 6.

Upon the upper side of the body portion of the chair 5 there is formedan upstanding rail engaging flange 7, the inner face of which abutsagainst one side of the webs 8 of the rails B. At its upper edge, thisflange is formed with a rib 9 which rests against one side face of thehead or tread 10 of each of the said rails. The flange, further,overlaps the base flange of each rail at that side at which it islocated, the said base flange being indicated by the numeral 11. Thissection 5 of the rail chair is formed in the underside of its body orbase portion with a groove 12, the side walls of which are vertical.This groove extends parallel to the inner edge of the said body of thesection in which it is formed, and the underside of the body, betweenthe said edge thereof and the adjacent edge of the groove, is beveled asat 13, this bevel being preferably convex as clearly shown in theseveral sectional views of the drawings. The plane, so to speak, of thisbevel is such that the body of the section is decreased in thicknesstoward its said inner edge.

The section 6 of the chair, as in the case of the section 5, is formedupon the upper side of its body portion with an upstanding rail engagingflange indicated by the numeral 14, the upper ortion of which engagesagainst the we .of the rail and beneath the head or tread of the saidrail as shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings. This flange does not, however,overlap the corresponding side of the rail base flange, as in the caseof the flange 7 in the sense that it engages with the same, but itmerely overlies the said base flange and is spaced therefromfor apurpose which will be presently described. A tongue or rib 15 is formedupon the upper face of the body of this section 6 and is designed toenga e in the groove in the underside of the body portion of the section5. Between this rib, which rib extends along the inner edge of the bodyof the said section 6, and the base of the upstanding rail engagingflange 1 1, the upper face of the said body of the section is beveled orconcavcd as at 16, this concavity having the same surface contour as thebevel '13 and these surfaces cooperate by mutual contact as shown inFig. 2 of the drawings. It will be observed that, as a consequence ofthe bevel 13 of the underside of the chair section 5, one wall of thegroove 12 is considerably shortened and it will further be observed,from an inspection of Figs. 2, 3 and 4 of the drawings, that that faceof the rib 15 which opposes the deeper wall of the groove 13 is beveledas at 17 so that the section 6 may be rocked from the position shown inFig. 2 of the drawings to the position shown in Fig. 3 thereof and maythen be lowered and at the same time rocked as if to return it to normalposition whereupon it will assume substantially the position shown inFig. l of the drawings, whereupon the two sections may be completelyseparated from each other as well as from the rails which they join. Itwill be understood that by having the rail engaging flange of thesection 6 engage only the underside of the tread and the upper portionof the web, the section 6 may be rocked as stated above, the base flangeof the rail at this side being re ceived in the concavity of the saidflange 14.

The section 5 of the chair is formed with a number of spike openings 18and the section 6 is formed with openings 20. Spikes or other suitablesecuring devices are driven through the openings 1n the sections 5 and 6and into the tie T and serve to hold the secrail-engaging flangearranged to abut against one side of the web of a rail disposed betweenthe chairs and to overlap the base flange of the said rail, the saidchair being formed in the under side of its body with a groove, the sidewalls of which are vertical, the said groove extending parallel to theinner edge of the said body of the chair, and the under side of the bodybetween the said edge thereof and the adjacent edge of the groove beingbeveled and convex and of such a width that the outer edge of the bevelwill register with the edge of that base flange of the rail other thanthe one overlapped by the said chair; the other chair comprising a bodyformed with an upstanding rail-engaging flange arranged to overlie thebase flange of the rail in spaced relation with respect thereto, theupper face of the body of the said chair being formed with. a tonguefitting in the groove in the under side of the body of the firstmentioned chair, the said body of the last mentioned chair between thesaid tongue and the base of the rail-engaging flange, being concave inits upper surface, that side of the tongue next adjacent the deeper wallof the groove in the under side of the first mentioned chair beingbeveled whereby to permit of rocking of the last mentioned chair tobring the bevel of its tongue against the said deeper wall of the grooveof the first mentioned chair and the overhanging portion of its railengaging flange upon the outer edge portionof the base flange of therail and subsequent rocking of the last mentioned chair to cause itstongue to clear the under side of the body of the first mentioned chair.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto affixedmy signature in the presence of two witnesses.

THOMAS P. LIVINGSTON.

WVitnesses:

JOHN P. VVnrrreE, EDW. J. MULHERIN.

